Scottish Executive

Bathing Waters

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can clarify what was meant by its spokesman’s comment that "the situation was under review" as reported in The Scotsman on 14 March 2002 in relation to the incomplete work of the Bathing Waters Review Panel.

Allan Wilson: No decision on identifying further bathing waters will be made until the form of the proposed revision of the Bathing Waters Directive (76/160/EEC) becomes clear. This situation is being kept under review.

Bathing Waters

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its forthcoming Bathing Water Strategy will result in the award of designated status to the eight currently undesignated beaches which were recently presented with a Seaside Award.

Allan Wilson: The intention of the Bathing Water Strategy is to co-ordinate action towards fulfilling the Scottish Executive’s commitment to achieve European standards at Scotland’s 60 existing bathing waters.

Bathing Waters

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Bathing Waters Review Panel will have any input into the forthcoming Bathing Water Strategy and whether the strategy will set out a programme for completing the unfinished work of the Bathing Waters Review Panel as required by the European Directive on Bathing Waters 76/160/EEC.

Allan Wilson: The Bathing Waters Review Panel was convened by The Scottish Office specifically to review nominations for the 1998 round of bathing water identifications. The Scottish Executive has no plans to reconvene the panel. We consulted widely when preparing the Bathing Waters Strategy, including all parties with an interest in bathing waters.

  The European Directive on Bathing Waters does not specifically require us to make further identifications.

Bridges

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been done to show whether there is any adverse economic effect on local and national businesses caused by delays at bridge toll booths.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has not conducted any studies on this issue. Nor are we aware of any work carried out by other organisations.

Bridges

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much, and what percentage, of the money collected from tolls on the Forth Road Bridge was diverted to finance matters not directly concerned with the management of the bridge in each of the past three years.

Lewis Macdonald: All expenditure of money received from tolls on the Forth Road Bridge was on matters relating to the undertaking. This included revenue spent on traffic management schemes that impacted on the bridge’s operation, namely:

  

 

Amount 
  

% of revenue 
  



1998-99 
  

£459, 198 
  

5 
  



1999-2000 
  

£ 13, 775 
  

0.15 
  



2000-01 
  

£ 95, 391 
  

1.05

Bridges

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its current proposals are in relation to the Forth Road Bridge including any plans for the future management of the bridge and the removal of toll charges, and whether it is currently consulting, or plans to consult, on any such plans and, if so, with whom.

Lewis Macdonald: On 1 April 2002 the Forth Estuary Transport Authority took over responsibility for management, maintenance and operation of the bridge. As well as establishing the new Authority the Executive has extended the present Tolling Order until 31   March 2006. The authority will be tasked with developing a charging strategy, under the terms of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, which includes the requirement to consult widely on its strategy and obtain Scottish ministers’ approval.

Bridges

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the future funding of the maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge and its approach roads and whether the cost of such maintenance will be financed from road maintenance budgets or other budgets.

Lewis Macdonald: Toll revenue is used to fund the maintenance, management and operation of the Bridge, and this arrangement will continue with establishment of the Forth Estuary Transport Authority on 1 April 2002. The authority will however have the flexibility to use surplus toll revenue more widely. It is entirely up to the authority, subject to the research it undertakes, to determine what it spends its surplus revenue on, provided that it funds schemes that reduce road congestion or encourage the greater use of public transport.

Cancer

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in reaching its target to reduce the standardised mortality rate from all cancers in people under 75 years old by 20%.

Malcolm Chisholm: The average standardised mortality rate from all cancers in people aged under 75 years during 1995-97 (the defined baseline) was 167.1 per 100,000 population. For 2000, the latest year for which data are available, the standardised mortality rate was 153.3 per 100,000 population. This equates to a reduction of 8.25%.

Cancer

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of (a) men and (b) women between the ages of 16 and 64 were (i) moderately active and (ii) vigorously active, as referred to in Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change , in (1) 1997, (2) 1998, (3) 1999, (4) 2000 and (5) 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm: The physical activity levels referred to in the document Cancer in Scotland- Action for Change are collated from the Scottish Health Survey . A survey was carried out in 1995 and 1998, and it is anticipated that it will also be carried out in 2002.

  The 1998 survey extended the upper age limit for adults from 64 to 74. In 1998 the number of men and women between the ages of 16 and 74 who were moderately active was 38% and 27% respectively. In 1998 the number of men and women between the ages of 16 and 74 who were vigorously active was 14% and 5% respectively.

  Information is not available for 1997, 1999, 2000 or 2001.

Cancer

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Scottish Cancer Group has met since its inception, what its remit is and what advice it has issued to date.

Malcolm Chisholm: Since it was restructured in July 2001 the Scottish Cancer Group (SCG) has met six times.

  On 6 November 2001, the first annual implementation/investment plan was published. This is available from the Scottish Executive website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk or from the NHSScotland website at:

  www.show.scot.nhs.uk. Copies were also placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 17445).

  The remit of the SCG is as follows:

  1. Advise ministers, the department and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on the implementation of Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change including;

  Preparation of an implementation plan

  Bringing forward annual investment plans for cancer services

  Monitoring implementation and improvements in services, ensuring sharing of good practice and learning across Scotland

  2. Working with the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, advise on key aspects of service quality which should be monitored at national level.

  3. Identify and prioritise those areas in which research and audit are required and to monitor the entry of cancer patients into clinical trials.

  4. Evaluate the clinical effectiveness programme in cancer to determine its effect on clinical practice and the delivery of care, taking full account of the patients’ perspective.

  5. Using local, national and international sources of information to advise on trends in incidence, mortality and morbidity of various forms of cancer and their implications for prevention and service provision.

  6. Identify scientific advances relevant to cancer services and advise on their service implications (e.g. the future application of cancer genetics).

  7. Advise on the implementation of nationally agreed initiatives for the delivery of cancer services, programmes of prevention and screening.

  8. Provide the CMO with an annual report of the work of the Scottish Cancer Group.

  9. Provide ad hoc advice on such other matters as may be requested by CMO and/or the Scottish Executive Health Department.

Cancer

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in developing a co-ordinated IT system to improve the call/recall arrangements for cervical cancer screening.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: A Scottish Cervical Screening Programme Call/Recall Project Board was established in August 2001 to look at IT options and the development of a national call/recall system.

  Work is progressing well and it is expected that the introduction of the system will begin by late spring 2003.

Cancer

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set up an expert advisory group to advise its Health Department on the outcomes of research into chemo-prevention of cancer and, if so, how many times it is scheduled to meet in the next year, what the membership of the group is and what reports it has produced to date.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is felt that the most appropriate way to look at the issues surrounding chemo-prevention, is to establish an annual seminar involving a range of national and international experts, including epidemiologists and others undertaking specific cancer research, to review the published evidence and make recommendations to the Scottish Cancer Group (and through them to ministers and the Scottish Executive Health Department) on any action deemed necessary in the light of that evidence.

  It is hoped to hold the first annual seminar in the late summer or early autumn of 2002.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mechanism is for evaluating the "Know The Score" strategy and what criteria will be applied in the evaluation process.

Dr Richard Simpson: Our Drugs Communications Strategy will be evaluated in several ways. At national level, evaluation will include a tracking study which will measure the impact of the strategy, including shifts in attitudes towards drugs problems. Factors such as hits to the "Know The Score" website, calls to the information line and requests for "Know The Score" publications will also be taken into account.

  Evaluation will also be built into local communications initiatives.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £6.3 million allocated to the "Know The Score" strategy will be allocated to treatment and rehabilitation services.

Dr Richard Simpson: None of the £6.3 million allocated to our Drugs Communications Strategy will be allocated for treatment and rehabilitation services. Treatment and rehabilitation are funded separately, in accordance with our overarching drugs strategy, Tackling Drugs in Scotland - Action in Partnership . In 2001-02 and the following two financial years, we are making available new resources for drugs treatment and rehabilitation of some £13 million and £20 million respectively. This is in addition to the resources already provided by NHS boards and local authorities.

  National and local communications will encourage members of the public to find out more about drugs and provide information on where help and advice can be obtained across Scotland.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the "Know The Score" local communication strategy will be in place.

Dr Richard Simpson: Work is currently under way with Scotland's Drug Action Teams (DATs) to develop local communications strategies, including the provision of materials funded by the Executive for local use. Scotland's drugs problems are diverse and local strategies will be designed to meet local circumstances and priorities. The National Drugs Communications Co-ordinator has already held a series of seminars to help DATs in developing communications skills and expertise.

  The Executive expects local communications strategies to be rolled out in the next 12 months across Scotland.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown of the distribution of funding allocated to the "Know The Score" strategy.

Dr Richard Simpson: We have allocated £6.3 million over three years to support activities falling within the scope of our Drugs Communications Strategy. These activities include national mass media campaigns, the production and distribution of drugs communications materials for national and local use, and the development and implementation of local drugs communications strategies.

  The costs incurred to date include the first tranche of advertising at around £650,000. That includes funding for television, press, outdoor (posters), cinema and other media work. Current research costs are around £70,000.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of funding for drug treatment and rehabilitation services was in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000, (e) 2000-01 and (f) 2001-02, broken down by NHS board area.

Dr Richard Simpson: The following table details the resources allocated to NHS boards for drug treatment services since 1998-99, broken down by NHS board area. Funding for drug services prior to 1998-99 was arranged by contract between the Common Services Agency and individual Boards and the information is not available centrally.

  


NHS Board 
  

1998-99
(£000) 
  

1999-2000
(£000) 
  

2000-01
(£000) 
  

2001-02
(£000) 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

709 
  

901 
  

984 
  

1,111 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

403 
  

535 
  

609 
  

737 
  



Borders 
  

68 
  

96 
  

118 
  

160 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

61 
  

96 
  

124 
  

298 
  



Fife 
  

328 
  

445 
  

514 
  

698 
  



Forth Valley 
  

103 
  

172 
  

226 
  

462 
  



Grampian 
  

750 
  

972 
  

1,085 
  

1,283 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

2,871 
  

3,502 
  

3,670 
  

4,387* 
  



Highland 
  

86 
  

137 
  

181 
  

300 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

333 
  

497 
  

607 
  

862 
  



Lothian 
  

2,263 
  

2,776 
  

2,922 
  

3,214 
  



Orkney 
  

11 
  

16 
  

20 
  

24 
  



Shetland 
  

28 
  

37 
  

42 
  

46 
  



Tayside 
  

933 
  

1,151 
  

1,225 
  

1,348 
  



Western Isles 
  

13 
  

20 
  

25 
  

43 
  



Total 
  

8,960 
  

11,352 
  

12,352 
  

14,973 
  



  Note:

  *Funding does not include additional resources of £250,000 allocated to Greater Glasgow NHS Board in 2001/02 to meet the treatment costs of the Glasgow Drug Court pilot.

  Local authorities fund rehabilitation services from their Grant Aided Expenditure settlements. Details of the level of funding on drug rehabilitation by NHS board or local authority area are not therefore available centrally. However, additional resources for rehabilitation were earmarked within local authorities’ Grant Aided Expenditure for 2001-02. These are outlined in the following table:

  


Local Authority 
  

Annual Additional Funding for 2001-02
(£000) 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

282 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

302 
  



Angus 
  

146 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

119 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

65 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

195 
  



Dundee City 
  

192 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

161 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

147 
  



East Lothian 
  

120 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

119 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

600 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

37 
  



Falkirk 
  

192 
  



Fife 
  

464 
  



Glasgow City 
  

812 
  



Highland 
  

277 
  



Inverclyde 
  

113 
  



Midlothian 
  

108 
  



Moray 
  

113 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

185 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

436 
  



Orkney 
  

26 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

178 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

235 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

141 
  



Shetland 
  

30 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

152 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

408 
  



Stirling 
  

113 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

126 
  



West Lothian 
  

205 
  



Scotland 
  

6,800

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of funding for anti-drug measures was in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02.

Dr Richard Simpson: Expenditure on tackling drug misuse spans a variety of programmes and funding streams, and the Executive does not hold all of this information centrally.

  At the end of 1999, however, the Executive's Policy Unit Review of Drugs Expenditure:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/PUDrugExpenRev.htm estimated that £141.5 million is spent each year on action to tackle drugs (£56.1 million specific spend and £85.4 million generic spend i.e. where a proportion of service time is related to drugs work). In 2000-01, extra resources of £1 million were provided for drugs-related activity in each of three separate areas i.e. drugs treatment, drugs rehabilitation and work by Social Inclusion Partnerships. In 2001-02, the Executive has made available an additional £28.866 million, bringing the level of funding on tackling drugs to over £170 million per annum.

Expenditure

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the monies from the annual extra tobacco tax revenues have been spent in each year to date and what plans it has for spending these revenues in future.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-5895 on 18 May 2000, which confirms hypothecation to the Health Improvement Fund (HIF), and to question S1W-23630 on 4 March 2002, which directs MSPs to the report on the use of the HIF.

Expenditure

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it expects to receive from Her Majesty’s Government in extra tobacco tax revenues between 2001 and 2004.

Mr Andy Kerr: In the period 2000-04, the Scottish Executive will receive £26 million per annum in Barnett consequentials, as a result of the Chancellors 2000 UK Budget announcement to raise tobacco tax by 5% on top of inflation.

Health Promotion

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership of the National Physical Activity Taskforce is; when it is next scheduled to meet, and what measures it uses to assess how it has raised the levels of regular physical activity amongst all age groups.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Physical Activity Task Force is next due to meet on 30 April 2002.

  A draft strategy for increasing physical activity levels amongst our population will be issued for consultation in June 2002. Following a formal period of consultation with key stakeholders, it is planned that a final strategy will be presented to Scottish Ministers in November 2002. Within the strategy, it is anticipated that the Scottish Health Survey will be the method which will monitor physical activity levels.

  The following table shows the members of the Physical Activity Task Force:

  


Name 
  

Representing 
  



John Beattie (Chair) 
  

Sports Personality 
  



Stephanie–Anne Harris 
  

Early years/ethnic minorities 
  



Dr Helen Zealley, OBE 
  

Public Health 
  



Dave Collins 
  

University of Edinburgh 
  



Sandy Watson 
  

SOLACE 
  



James McLellan 
  

COSLA 
  



Dr George Crooks 
  

GP interest in physical activity 
  



Candace Currie 
  

Childrens health/physical activity 
  



Angus MacDonald 
  

Secondary Education 
  



Anne Pearson 
  

Primary Education 
  



Gabe Docherty 
  

Health Promotion Mgrs Group 
  



Nannette Mutrie 
  

sportscotland 
  



Richard Brickley 
  

Elderly and Disabled 
  



Stuart Mackenzie 
  

Voluntary sector 
  



David Leslie 
  

Voluntary sector 
  



Joan Henderson 
  

Dance 
  



Lindsay McHardy 
  

HEBS 
  



Alan Jones 
  

LA Leisure Depts

Ministerial Correspondence

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will reply to my letter dated 30 January 2002 regarding my constituent Mrs A Anderson of Macduff.

Malcolm Chisholm: I replied to the member on 18 March 2002.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the appropriate level of chiropody and podiatry services which should be commissioned by each Primary Care NHS Trust.

Malcolm Chisholm: Chiropody and podiatry services are part of the range of services provided by Primary Care NHS Trusts. It is for the NHS locally to make an assessment of the needs of the local population.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it plans to provide regarding the appropriate level of chiropody and podiatry services which should be commissioned by each Primary Care NHS Trust.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no plans to publish guidance of this nature. It is for the NHS locally to determine the range and level of services to be provided.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the implications for the provision of chiropody and podiatry services in the NHS following the publication of the guidelines relating to the Scottish Diabetes Framework.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Diabetes Group, the recently established national steering group for the implementation of the Scottish Diabetes Framework, will be taking forward work in relation to diabetic foot care. One of the action points of Scottish Diabetes Framework is to commission (by January 2003) a workforce study of diabetes services in hospitals and the community.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many chiropodists and podiatrists were employed in the NHS in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of chiropodists directly employed by NHSScotland is shown in the following table.

  


Chiropodists1 directly employed 
  by NHSScotland 
  



Headcount and Whole Time Equivalent at 30 
  September 
  


 

Headcount 
  

WTE 
  



1996 
  

680 
  

595.8 
  



1997 
  

699 
  

606.9 
  



1998 
  

701 
  

608.9 
  



1999 
  

735 
  

633.0 
  



2000 
  

741 
  

634.7 
  



  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll ISD Scotland.

  Note:

  1. Comprises qualified staff only and includes podiatrists.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people consulted a chiropodist and/or a podiatrist in each of the last five years for which figures are available, expressed also as a percentage of the population.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the total number of patients treated by chiropodists and podiatrists over the five-year period 1996 to 2000.

  Number of Treatments by Chiropodists and Podiatrists in the NHS

  


Year 
  

Number of Treatments 
  



1996 
  

467,044 
  



1997 
  

472,820 
  



1998 
  

480,161 
  



1999 
  

494,133 
  



2000 
  

485,959 
  



  The figures need to be interpreted with some care. They are based on the number of courses of treatment provided to patients. Some patients will receive more than one course of treatment during the year, and therefore the number of people receiving chiropody or podiatry treatment will be less than the total number of treatments provided.

  It is not possible to identify the number of patients who receive more than one course of chiropody or podiatry treatment, and therefore we cannot estimate the number and percentage of people in the population who have seen a chiropodist or podiatrist.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to issue guidance regarding the minimum level of chiropody and podiatry services which should be available to patients from the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no such plans. It is for the NHS locally to determine the range and level of service provision in accordance with the needs of the population, and national and local priorities.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors, or plans to monitor, the level of patients’ satisfaction with the NHS’s chiropody and podiatry services.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, as Patient Focus, Public Involvement which was published in December of last year states, feedback on the services the NHS provides should be solicited in a range of ways. A well-targeted survey can provide useful data on specific elements of service user experience. Guidance on the use of surveys in the NHS, based on research carried out in conjunction with the Scottish Consumer Council, will be published shortly. This guidance will be supplemented by information on alternative ways of soliciting feedback from service users.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of any local and regional variations in the provision of chiropody and podiatry treatment by the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the Common Services Agency, NHSScotland has published a Health Briefing (2001): Community Chiropody Services which presents information on community chiropody and podiatry services in Scotland between 1990-99. The information relates to the number of patients treated, the number of treatments provided, place of treatment and chiropody staffing levels. Further statistical information on the provision of chiropody services is available from the ISD website.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Health and Community Care will make a ministerial statement on any local and/or regional variations in the provision of chiropody and podiatry treatment by the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: No such statement is planned.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) new courses of podiatry and chiropody treatment were started and (b) individual podiatry patients were treated in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of courses of chiropody and podiatry treatment provided to patients in each Health board area between 1996 and 2000 are shown in the following table.

  Number of Treatments Provided by Chiropodists and Podiatrists in the NHS

  

 

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

 53,949 
  

 63,034 
  

 66,266 
  

 74,087 
  

 64,960 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

 40,824 
  

 41,134 
  

 43,179 
  

 45,074 
  

 46,188 
  



Borders 
  

 10,590 
  

 10,308 
  

 11,457 
  

 12,322 
  

 11,655 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

 13,019 
  

 13,419 
  

 13,433 
  

 13,750 
  

 13,658 
  



Fife 
  

 32,648 
  

 29,110 
  

 28,196 
  

 36,272 
  

 37,065 
  



Forth Valley 
  

 24,439 
  

 23,156 
  

 23,157 
  

 23,740 
  

 24,930 
  



Grampian 
  

 39,411 
  

 42,109 
  

 41,853 
  

 43,335 
  

 40,936 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

 66,581 
  

 66,011 
  

 67,155 
  

 69,789 
  

 75,244 
  



Highland 
  

 15,964 
  

 16,340 
  

 16,483 
  

 14,784 
  

 14,291 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

 48,890 
  

 51,329 
  

 48,427 
  

 42,103 
  

 44,376 
  



Lothian 
  

 75,892 
  

 71,939 
  

 70,074 
  

 69,665 
  

 69,569 
  



Orkney 
  

 2,224 
  

 2,207 
  

 2,321 
  

 2,569 
  

 2,282 
  



Shetland 
  

 2,386 
  

 2,711 
  

 2,906 
  

 2,854 
  

 2,983 
  



Tayside 
  

 36,218 
  

 36,121 
  

 41,323 
  

 39,734 
  

 34,389 
  



Western Isles 
  

 4,009 
  

 3,892 
  

 3,931 
  

 4,055 
  

 3,433 
  



Scotland 
  

 467,044 
  

 472,820 
  

 480,161 
  

 494,133 
  

 485,959 
  



  It is not possible to identify the number of patients who are treated by a chiropodist or podiatrist. Some patients will receive more than one course of treatment, and therefore the number of patients receiving treatment during a year is likely to be less than the number of treatments provided.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost currently is of chiropody/podiatry treatment by (a) a GP, (b) a nurse, (c) a consultant, (d) a chiropodist/podiatrist.

Malcolm Chisholm: The only information that is collected centrally on the cost of chiropody/podiatry services is the cost of an out-patient attendance at a clinic where the patient is seen by a chiropodist. The average cost of an attendance in 2000-01 was £19.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost currently is of a foot operation when undertaken by (a) an orthopaedic surgeon and (b) a podiatric surgeon.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS Services

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foot operations in the NHS in Scotland have been undertaken by (a) orthopaedic surgeons and (b) podiatric surgeons in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of foot operations performed as in-patients or day cases in the speciality of orthopaedics since 1997-1998, by NHS board of residence, is provided in the following table. In that period, no surgical cases were recorded in the speciality Surgical Podiatry. Information on operations undertaken in an out-patient setting is not available centrally.

  The treatment of patients by a Podiatrist is generally undertaken in a primary care setting or at sessions at NHSScotland hospitals, clinics or other Health Service facilities staffed by Professions Allied to Medicine. Information on services provided by Professions Allied to Medicine is not collected centrally.

  NHSScotland: Number Of In-patient And Day Case Foot1 Operations Performed By A Consultant In The Specialty Of Orthopaedics. Years Ending 31 March 1998-2001 And 6 Months to 30 September 2001

  


NHS Board 
  

31 March 1998 
  

31 March 1999 
  

31 March 2000 
  

31 March 2001 
  

6 Months to 30 September 2001P




Argyll and Clyde 
  

162 
  

204 
  

149 
  

155 
  

87 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

193 
  

187 
  

160 
  

189 
  

58 
  



Borders 
  

27 
  

44 
  

47 
  

55 
  

25 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

41 
  

56 
  

64 
  

47 
  

8 
  



Fife 
  

167 
  

204 
  

133 
  

139 
  

67 
  



Forth Valley 
  

105 
  

108 
  

93 
  

116 
  

45 
  



Grampian 
  

232 
  

287 
  

290 
  

222 
  

102 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

303 
  

305 
  

325 
  

272 
  

117 
  



Highland 
  

68 
  

99 
  

90 
  

89 
  

36 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

195 
  

214 
  

186 
  

166 
  

68 
  



Lothian 
  

296 
  

330 
  

285 
  

380 
  

221 
  



Orkney 
  

5 
  

8 
  

1 
  

3 
  

1 
  



Shetland 
  

6 
  

8 
  

7 
  

5 
  

5 
  



Tayside 
  

258 
  

233 
  

209 
  

170 
  

85 
  



Western Isles 
  

7 
  

8 
  

11 
  

3 
  

1 
  



Scotland 
  

2,065 
  

2,295 
  

2,050 
  

2,011 
  

926 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

  p Provisional.

  Note:

  1 Foot operations are defined as OPCS4 codes W03, W04 and W15 or any operation with a supplementary classification of ‘site of operation’ of Z79, Z80, and Z90.5.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the reopened waiting lists for clinical psychology and dietetics detailed in the report Review of Learning Disability Services in Forth Valley by the Scottish Health Advisory Service in December 2001, what steps are being taken in order to guarantee that a waiting list place is available for any patient who needs it.

Malcolm Chisholm: Instructions have been issued to NHSScotland, reiterating that it is unacceptable to refuse to accept a referral to an appropriate clinical professional for clinical consultation or treatment.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Auditor General for Scotland will publish the results of the inquiry into the management of NHS waiting lists and whether the inquiry will include the reopened waiting lists for clinical psychology and dietetics detailed in the report Review of Learning Disability Services in Forth Valley by the Scottish Health Advisory Service in December 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm: Audit Scotland hopes to publish its report in May. It will cover the management of waiting lists in all 28 trusts in Scotland.

Nursing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to bring nursing degree students currently in their second and third years of study within the revised financial support arrangements due to be introduced in Autumn 2002 whereby only first and second year students will benefit from the introduction of a non-means-tested bursary, and how it will ensure that such students are not financially disadvantaged in relation to these new arrangements.

Malcolm Chisholm: It would cost an additional £2 million between 2002-03 and 2003-04 to include second and third year nursing degree students in the new arrangements. These students will continue to receive their current support of means-tested bursary and non-means-tested student loan, as well as any additional allowances for which they may be eligible.

Nutrition

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what method it is using to record people’s dietary activity.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Formal reporting mechanisms include The Scottish Health Survey and publications from the Food Standards Agency, HEBS and The Public Health Institute for Scotland and from Scottish Executive funded initiatives to improve Scotland’s diet.

Nutrition

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what progress it is making towards its targets to (i) double the average consumption of fruit and vegetables; (ii) increase by nearly half the intake of bread (mainly wholemeal); (iii) double the daily intake of breakfast cereals; (iv) reduce the proportion of total fat and of saturated fat by over 5%; (v) reduce average salt intake by over a third; (vi) halve child intake of non-milk sugar; (vii) increase the intake of non-sugar carbohydrates by a quarter; and (viii) double the consumption of oily fish as referred to in its report Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change, and (b) what the current level of intake is in each of these categories.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Health Surveys conducted in 1995 and 1998 show that:

  (i) the proportion of population who eat fresh fruit once a day or more increased between 1995 and 1998. The proportion who eat green vegetables five or more times a week has decreased. Figures are not yet available to allow average consumption to be calculated.

  (ii) the proportion who eat four or more slices of bread a day has increased slightly between 1995 and 1998.

  (iii) the proportion who eat breakfast cereal has increased slightly.

  (iv) fat intake includes many sources including butter and saturated fat margarines, fat in frying and frequency of eating fried foods, dairy produce and meat. There was no comparable information in the 1995 and 1998 Scottish Health Surveys which would allow us to look at consumption of these foods over time.

  (v) the proportion of adults who usually or generally add salt to food at the table has decreased between 1995 and 1998.

  (vi) in 1995 the Scottish Health Survey only contained information on persons aged between 16 and 64 years. In the 1998 survey this was extended to persons aged between two and 74. Therefore trend data are not available from this source. The next Scottish Health Survey will provide comparable data.

  (vii) consumption of potatoes, pasta or rice has increased between 1995 and 1998.

  (viii) consumption of oily fish has decreased between 1995 and 1998.

  (b) This information will become available with the publication of the Food Standard Agency’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey in early 2003.

Nutrition

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated to the National Diet Action Co-ordinator over the next three years and what major initiatives are planned.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Food and Health Co-ordinator was appointed to support implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan’s recommendations including work to encourage retailers, manufacturers, primary producers and caterers to play their part in implementing the SDAP recommendations. The Executive supports the implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan (SDAP) with dedicated resources of £1 million per annum. Food and health action is also funded from the £26 million Health Improvement Fund.

  Among actions under way and planned are the establishment of an expert panel to make recommendations for wide ranging improvements in the nutritional standards and delivery of school meals and the establishment of a Breakfast Services Challenge Fund to expand services targeted on vulnerable children who are most in need of a breakfast service.

Police

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23348 by Mr Jim Wallace on 19 March 2002, whether it made inquiries to North Lanarkshire Council to obtain the information requested on the number of police attendances at residential care facilities in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency prior to providing that answer and, if so, which departments it contacted and on what dates, and whether the information requested will be made available giving the reasons for its response.

Mr Jim Wallace: As I said in my answer to question S1W-23348, this information is not held centrally. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for Chief Constables.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23458 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 March 2002, when the offers it received for the buildings of former HM Prison Penninghame will no longer be subject to the "commercial in confidence" requirement.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Offers received for the former HM Prison Penninghame are subject to the commercial in confidence requirement indefinitely.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23460 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 March 2002, whether the buildings at former HM Prison Penninghame were ever withdrawn from the market and, if so, how many times and what the reasons were in each case.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any off-the-record briefing of journalists about the outcome of the Prison Estates Review took place prior to 17 March 2002, and if not, whether it will undertake an investigation of the Scottish Prison Service to determine whether any member or members of staff leaked details of the review to the media.

Mr Jim Wallace: As I said to Parliament on 21 March, I authorised no briefing to anyone prior to that date. In fact I issued specific instructions to the contrary.

  I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond to the second part of your question. His response is as follows:

  No briefing was given to journalists by SPS and I do not think that SPS staff leaked details of the Estates Review to the media.

Rail Network

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation it has made of the feasibility of re-opening the railway line between Dunfermline and Alloa.

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimation it has made of the cost of extending the Alloa to Stirling rail link to Dunfermline.

Lewis Macdonald: I understand that the option of extending passenger services to Dunfermline was considered by the partners promoting the Stirling – Alloa – Kincardine rail link at a Value Management Workshop hosted by Railtrack in May 2001.

  The workshop recommended that extending passenger services to Dunfermline should not be considered any further as part of the Stirling – Alloa – Kincardine scheme on grounds of cost. No firm estimate was made at the workshop but it was clear that the additional cost would be very significant. It is, of course, open to other parties to assess the feasibility of extending passenger services in the future.

Rates

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made regarding Rate Relief for Small Businesses: Consultation Paper , issued in 2001.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20893 on 11 December 2001.

Road Accidents

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will collate and publish the figures for fatal road accidents in each of the last ten years and make these available to the Transport Research Laboratory for its study of the working of the Road Traffic Act 1991.

Lewis Macdonald: The numbers of fatal road accidents in each year from 1970 to 2000 inclusive are given in Table 2 of Road Accidents Scotland 2000 , copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17733). Other tables provide more detailed breakdowns of the numbers of injury road accidents and the numbers of casualties. It is expected that provisional figures for 2001 will be published within the next two months.

  All the Scottish figures are made available to the Transport Research Laboratory.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12506 by Sarah Boyack on 25 April 2001, whether it is now in a position to provide details of how the Public/Private Partnership (PPP) proposed for the A77/M77 upgrade (Malletsheugh-Fenwick) will differ from that used for the Paddy's Rickle Bridge-Cleuchbrae phase of the M74 and whether the A77/M77 PPP is intended to include operation and maintenance of any section of the A77/M77 corridor other than that to be constructed.

Lewis Macdonald: The proposed PPP for the M77/A77 upgrade reflects the developments in roads PPP projects since the M74 contract was awarded, and in particular there are changes in the payment structure.

  The project is being taken forward jointly with the Glasgow Southern Orbital scheme in partnership with East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire Councils. The operation and maintenance obligations under the contract will be limited to the new stretch of the M77, but will also include the Glasgow Southern Orbital and a small section of the A726 trunk road near Philipshill.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what priority was originally attached to each trunk road improvement project identified in the Route Action Plan (RAP) for the A77 South of Ayr and whether any of these projects have been (a) abandoned (b) substantially amended or (c) re-programmed as a result of the recent review of the RAP.

Lewis Macdonald: The priority ranking given to each trunk road improvement project identified in the Route Action Plan Firm Strategy Report for the A77 south of Ayr was as follows:

  


Scheme Location 
  

Ranking 
  

Type of Improvement 
  



Ayr-Minishant 
  

2 
  

Dual carriageway between roundabouts 
  



Minishant-Maybole 
  

3 
  

Dual carriageway between roundabouts 
  



Maybole-Kirkoswald 
  

4 
  

Wide single with full overtaking sight distance 
  



Dalquat-Turnberry 
  

1 
  

Northbound climbing lane 
  



Burnside-Girvan 
  

5 
  

Wide single with full overtaking sight distance 
  



Ardwell-Slockenray 
  

7 
  

Wide single with full overtaking sight distance 
  



Auchencrosh-Carloch 
  

8 
  

Southbound climbing lane 
  



Haggstone-Boundary 
  

6 
  

Northbound climbing lane 
  



  The Burnside-Girvan and Dalquat-Turnberry climbing lane schemes have been included in the programme to be constructed, which the former minister announced on 27 March 2001, along with a further scheme at Blackneuk which is now under construction.

  None of the other listed improvements have been (a) abandoned, or (b) substantially amended. The Review of Route Action Plans has not yet been completed and further consideration has not been given to the original rankings.

Scottish Criminal Records Office

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the decision of the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) that no errors were made by SCRO officers in the Shirley McKie case can be reconciled with previous statements by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice and the Lord Advocate on this matter.

Mr Jim Wallace: The conclusion of the Independent Scrutiny Committee, which was set up to be independent of SCRO and Strathclyde Joint Police Board, was that there were no matters of misconduct or lack of capability in the work surrounding the fingerprint comparisons made by SCRO officers. The Scrutiny Committee accordingly recommended that no disciplinary action be taken against the four officers concerned.

Scottish Criminal Records Office

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that Shirley McKie is paid suitable and fair compensation for the damage to her reputation, career, life and health caused by the false evidence given in her trial regarding fingerprint identification and, given that the court case took place in 1999, whether it will ensure that such payment is paid without further delay.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are presently considering a claim for damages submitted on Ms McKie’s behalf by her legal representatives.

Scottish Executive Websites

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken, with regard to its website, to use infobot technology to speed up responses to the electorate on general issues.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive Website does not use infobot technology. However, our policy for the website is to make it easy for the public to access and use. As well as its current search facilities, for example the website provides a facility for visitors to subscribe to an electronic mailing list for news bulletins. A procurement exercise is currently under way to implement a new search engine.

Smoking

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual adult rates of smoking were in each year from 1995 to date.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The following table shows the percentage of adults aged between 16-64 years who were regular cigarette smokers in 1995 and 1998. These data are from the Scottish Health Survey, which is carried out periodically and is used as the source for monitoring progress against the smoking reduction target set in Towards a Healthier Scotland. The next Scottish Health Survey is scheduled for 2002 and should be published in 2004.

  


Year 
  

Males 
  

Females 
  

Total 
  



1995 
  

34% 
  

36% 
  

35% 
  



1998 
  

36% 
  

33% 
  

34%

Young People

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a young person to be placed in the Young People’s Unit.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information is not available in the form requested, however current waiting times range from one week to 24 weeks. All referrals to the Young People’s Unit are prioritised according to clinical need.